Hi,
I am wondering if you have any dances for low numbers of dancers (perhaps 6
or less), when most or all of the dancers are beginners and adults. I am
also wondering if you have any dances (presumably different dances), that do
not require choosing a partner and are good openers for beginner adults.
Thanks as always to all,
Rickey Holt.
I can only speak with reference to calling at NEFFA, as I have never applied to DownEast. As some of you may know that Linda Leslie is NEFFA's program chair, I will note that the program chair does not select performers for contra sessions.
Regarding NEFFA 2007, the following notice is now posted at http://neffa.org/perf_app.html - The Program Committee is not prepared to take your application at this time, since it is too late to apply for this year's NEFFA Festival. Please note that the application to perform is always available during the month of September, with a deadline in October. If you'd like to get an e-mail notice of application availability, send a blank e-mail to NEFFA_Performers-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com
So you can note on your calendar that September is a good time to check the NEFFA web site, and also arrange for a notice to pop up in your e-mail.
The NEFFA application invites you to come up with a briefly-described theme for your session, with a title of 20 characters or less. IMO, use your own judgment as to how important the theme is. If you are offering a concept that's really meaningful to you, don't be afraid to describe it. If what you really want to do is just call some hot contras, then IMO I wouldn't go overboard on the theme.
Unlike Northwest Folklife, callers and bands apply SEPARATELY to the New England Folk Festival. And I believe that this is a very good thing for beginning callers who hope to have a chance at getting onstage. This mix-and-match policy gives a fresh perspective for experienced performers, and can be an eye-opening experience for newcomers who may get to work with seasoned veterans. I will never forget calling at NEFFA with Northern Spy, a band that has worked with caller David Millstone for 25 years. And where was David during this session? Out on the floor, happily dancing to the music of his own band. NEFFA's selection process made that wonderful hour possible for me.
For what it's worth, the first year I successfully applied I asked for a "Festival Orchestra" slot, which means that instead of calling a themed, hour-long session I called two dances in the Main Hall with the assembled orchestra and then got off the stage as the next Festival Orchestra caller had a turn. IMO, the key here (as well as in submitting a session proposal) is to choose dances that you know by heart, can teach well, fully believe in, and love to share with a crowd. You don't want to have second thoughts as you approach the microphone.
If you're wondering why performer applications are required so far in advance of a festival, note that NEFFA may have 1700 performers, many of whom perform in multiple sessions (perhaps performing alone, and with a participatory dance group, and also with a concert performance group!). You can't doublebook a performer (or larger groups to which she may belong), you have to give her time to move from one venue to another, plus a bunch of other scheduling etceteras that would drive me loony to contemplate further. How scheduling was done in the days before computers is beyond me.
--
Robert Jon Golder
164 Maxfield St
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 999-2486
I recently had the following exchange on a different list with Michael
Shapiro (guitarist with U4):
Michael wrote:
>>> U4 just played the SwingShift weekend in Lexington/Berea. The caller was
Barbara Groh. She did something that I think most callers should do, but I
haven't seen before. After the sets were formed and people had done the hand
four, she then broke up the beginners sets that had formed at the end of the
lines. She asked then to move forward and intersperse themselves with the
more advanced dancers (so that they were more toward the beggining of the
line and the foursomes were not all beginners).
She was also good at letting the music be heard ...
I wrote:
>> Regarding the caller asking sets to reform in order to spread the less
experienced dancers throughout the hall, much tact is required. Generally,
callers strive to avoid calling attention to particular dancers other than
when asking people to watch a demonstration, but asking people to change
sets can have the effect of making them feel like there is attention on
them. In addition, newish dancers want to dance with people they know, even
if those friends may also be newish dancers.
>> Speaking to the entire crowd, I do encourage experienced dancers to share
their experience by asking someone they've never met to dance at least once
in the evening, and praise the community for being so welcoming to newcomer
dancers. So while I might be thinking "let's break up this clump of
confusion," it would not be good to say something that draws attention to
"you people right here."
>> I have asked, off mic, for a set of experienced dancers to offer to
repartner with a set of inexperienced dancers down the line.
To this list, I ask:
I'd be interested in the wording that Barbara Groh used (which I'm assuming
was quite gentle). I'm also guessing other callers on this list have
developed tactful ways to address this issue.
Thanks,
Jerome
--
Jerome Grisanti
660-528-0858
http://www.jeromegrisanti.com
Well, I have an entirely different and positive perspective on
headset mikes.
We have a nice headset mike here in San Diego. I love using it, and
our sound engineers set it up nicely so that I have no trouble with
feedback. I have to remember to keep it a little ways from my mouth
so that it won't pop on Partner and Promenade and any other P sounds,
but as long as I do that, it's great.
I call up on some steps here because I'm short and like to see the
whole hall while I'm calling - and they can see me. I don't usually
run around the hall while calling. During the beginner sessions, a
handheld mike that is attached to a cable is a nightmare - my voice
is not big, and I have a hard time teaching a large group without a
mike. Trying to demo a ladies chain with a cable following you around
is a recipe for disaster, and I hate having to use one when I'm
calling elsewhere. During walkthroughs here I am no longer tethered
to the stage, and can hop down to demonstrate a move, though I often
just ask regulars to do it. I can move down once a dance gets going
and briefly consult with the musicians without worry (I usually just
move the mike away a little and then back, and don't worry about the
mute). I can keep calling even if I need to quickly flip through my
cards as I realize that the next dance might be too difficult or too
easy and another would be better.
I find that a handheld mike hurts my hand if I hold it all night.
It's just too darned heavy and a real inconvenience. When I call in
places that set up a mike in a stand, I find that I often stand in
such a way in front of it that I'll end up with a backache or my feet
or legs aching by the end of the night. Not fun.
As far as connecting with the dancers, I really don't see how
juggling a stupid mike in one hand or being constrained by a mike in
a stand in front of you, inhibiting your ability to look around you
at the dancers or at the musicians while calling, is in any way
helpful. Those of you who enjoy having your hands cramp up and
tripping over cords can keep doing it, but for anyone who hasn't been
thrilled with the experience, I recommend you get a good "Madonna
mike", as we call it, and free yourself from the tyranny of a tether.
Enjoy!
Martha Wild
On Apr 23, 2009, at 9:00 AM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
> Send Callers mailing list submissions to
> callers(a)sharedweight.net
>
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>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Earset microphone recommendations (gregmck(a)earthlink.net)
> 2. First Dance Weekend (David Millstone)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:30:15 -0700
> From: gregmck(a)earthlink.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Earset microphone recommendations
> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Message-ID: <7.0.0.16.0.20090422091957.01dc13f8(a)earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
>
> Will wrote:
>> I am in the process of buying a Shure PGX1/PGX4 transmitter/
>> receiver system
>> with the intention of using it with an earset microphone, the
>> small, nearly
>> invisible 'rice grain' style.
>
> Well, now that you mention it, here is another perspective on this
> technology. Before making the investment you might want to consider
> all of the implications.
>
> Regards,
> Greg McKenzie
>
> ************
>
> Un-tethered from Reality: Some Thoughts on Wireless Microphones
>
> I have tried using a wireless headset microphone and found the
> experience wanting. I owned one for several years and used it
> regularly. I abandoned it for several reasons. Not primarily
> because of the increased instances of feedback--something I find
> devastating to the sense of safety and community spirit in the
> hall. And not because of the monetary and environmental cost of
> batteries, the extra trouble of setting up the mike and receiver, the
> complications of switching the mike off and on again to make "off
> mike" comments, or the feeling of being wired and walking around with
> an electronic device attached to my head. My decision was also not
> primarily based on concerns about exposing myself and others to
> high-frequency electromagnetic radiation--though I recognize that
> some people are very sensitive to the idea of such exposure.
>
> My primary reason for giving up on the wireless headset was because I
> saw that it was interfering with my ability to connect with the
> dancers, musicians, and others in the hall.
>
> Any speaker at a public event needs to be in a position where the
> entire audience can see them. This is a very basic
> principle. People naturally prefer to watch someone who is speaking
> to them. When someone hears a voice hailing them the most natural
> reaction is to turn one's head toward the source of the sound. It
> can be disconcerting to look toward the sound source and see an empty
> stage. The natural reaction is to feel a little bit silly, and to
> look around to try to find the source of the voice. This is a
> relative small matter but keep in mind that there are probably dozens
> of people going through this reaction whenever a speaker is not in
> the spot where the audience is accustomed to seeing them. That means
> that for at least a few seconds a big part of your audience is
> feeling silly and disconnected. Those people are not feeling
> confident or relaxed. They cannot listen carefully to what the
> speaker is saying.
>
> As an aside here I would point out that an "off-stage mike" is
> commonly used in theatre and stagecraft. Please note, however, that
> the purpose of the "off-stage mike" is always to build suspense and
> tension. Something that I, personally, try to avoid when calling
> because I want people to feel relaxed and sociable. The off-stage
> mike is, therefore, usually accompanied with a visual cue (such as a
> spotlight at the edge of the stage during an introduction) to direct
> the audience's attention in the absence of a physical speaker they
> can see.
>
> I have attended dances where the caller has used a wireless headset
> mike off-stage freely during the evening. I always found it
> disconcerting to have to look for the caller in the room. It also
> seemed a bit creepy to think of a live microphone moving around the
> hall without warning. Callers sometimes use these mikes while
> speaking to individuals or small groups of dancers who are
> confused. This is unprofessional because it draws the entire hall's
> attention to the confused dancers and exacerbates the situation by
> creating even more tension.
>
> I quickly learned that when using a wireless headset it is the
> speaker's duty to alert the audience whenever they change
> locations--particularly if they move off stage. I would say
> something like: "Ladies and gentlemen. Please direct your attention
> to the center of the hall," before stepping off the stage. This is
> the courteous thing for a speaker to do. This helped a lot, but it
> also complicated the process of moving away from my regular
> location. Ultimately I found that the headset mike was more trouble
> than it was worth.
>
> I can see that these headset or "earset" mikes are very appropriate
> for entertainers who dance or move while singing or speaking and, in
> particular, when they have a spotlight to keep the audience cued as
> to their location. They also work well for instructors who must
> gesture or handle props while talking, such as in demonstrations. I
> think such mikes are of particular use to exercise instructors such
> as Jazzercise leaders who generally remain in the same location
> while teaching.
>
> At calling gigs the sound engineer will often offer me a wireless
> mike to use. My response is that I am happy to use any mike that
> delivers a good range of high-frequency sounds so that my voice can
> be clearly understood. Wireless mikes are acceptable, as long as
> they are securely fastened to a mike stand where I will leave them
> during the entire dance.
>
> ########
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: 23 Apr 2009 09:59:59 -0400
> From: David.Millstone(a)VALLEY.NET (David Millstone)
> Subject: [Callers] First Dance Weekend
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Message-ID: <117429638(a)retriever.VALLEY.NET>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> Jack Mitchell wrote: "I've gotten to the point in my calling that
> calling for a
> weekend in the next few years is something that I'd like to set as
> a goal for
> myself, but don't have a good idea of how to go about it."
>
> Lynn Ackerson followed with many excellent suggestions. I'd like to
> add one
> other: Diversify.
>
> Many years ago, I was in the position that Jack is in. I looked
> around at folks
> being hired for prestigious dance camps and wondered, "Why not me?"
> I took a
> harder look-- I remember sitting down and drawing up a list of
> every caller I
> could see listed at a camp advertised in the CDSS news. I soon
> realized that
> just about everybody on that list could offer more than simply
> calling contra
> dances. Some taught tango, or waltz, or swing. Some had honed their
> ability to
> teach a special dance that would appeal to avid dancers; "Dutch
> Crossing" is one
> popular example. Some were crackerjack square dance callers. Some
> had lots of
> experience leading caller workshops, or had written many themselves
> and had led
> sessions on how to write dances. Some had lots of experience
> teaching children
> or novice dancers. Virtually everyone had something to offer a
> programmer in
> addition to their ability to call contras.
>
> I already had lots of experience with kids-- decades as an
> elementary school
> teacher, including teaching longsword, morris, and country dance,
> and I had lots
> of family dances on my resume. But I decided that I would hone my
> skills as an
> English country dance caller; I already enjoyed dancing ECD and was
> eager to
> share that dance form with others. Looking around, these seemed to
> be relatively
> few callers who taught both American and English. (That's still the
> case, though
> the numbers have grown in the past 15 years.)
>
> Today, my gigs are pretty evenly split, with about one third of my
> jobs being
> English country dance, one third contras and squares for the hard-
> core dance
> crowd, and one third family dances. I've also developed
> presentations on dance
> history, something that relatively few others offer. Each of these
> items have
> been helpful at special dance events, whether weekends or weeklong
> camps.
>
> Good luck!
>
> David Millstone
> Lebanon, NH
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
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>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 56, Issue 8
> **************************************
I am going to be in and travelling in the New England Area from 13-21 June
and should be grateful to hear of any calling, teaching or dancing
opportunities whilst I am there or en route to/from DC. My only fixed
points are that I need to be in northern Vermont on Sun 14 (aft) and Sat 20
(mid-morning).
I can provide lectures, calling workshops, English Country Dance Workshops
(all levels), English ceilidh workshops, contra workshops and call for
dances of all these types.
Please contact me off-list with any information about places to dance or
calling/teaching opportunities.
Michael Barraclough
http://www.michaelbarraclough.com
Jack Mitchell wrote: "I've gotten to the point in my calling that calling for a
weekend in the next few years is something that I'd like to set as a goal for
myself, but don't have a good idea of how to go about it."
Lynn Ackerson followed with many excellent suggestions. I'd like to add one
other: Diversify.
Many years ago, I was in the position that Jack is in. I looked around at folks
being hired for prestigious dance camps and wondered, "Why not me?" I took a
harder look-- I remember sitting down and drawing up a list of every caller I
could see listed at a camp advertised in the CDSS news. I soon realized that
just about everybody on that list could offer more than simply calling contra
dances. Some taught tango, or waltz, or swing. Some had honed their ability to
teach a special dance that would appeal to avid dancers; "Dutch Crossing" is one
popular example. Some were crackerjack square dance callers. Some had lots of
experience leading caller workshops, or had written many themselves and had led
sessions on how to write dances. Some had lots of experience teaching children
or novice dancers. Virtually everyone had something to offer a programmer in
addition to their ability to call contras.
I already had lots of experience with kids-- decades as an elementary school
teacher, including teaching longsword, morris, and country dance, and I had lots
of family dances on my resume. But I decided that I would hone my skills as an
English country dance caller; I already enjoyed dancing ECD and was eager to
share that dance form with others. Looking around, these seemed to be relatively
few callers who taught both American and English. (That's still the case, though
the numbers have grown in the past 15 years.)
Today, my gigs are pretty evenly split, with about one third of my jobs being
English country dance, one third contras and squares for the hard-core dance
crowd, and one third family dances. I've also developed presentations on dance
history, something that relatively few others offer. Each of these items have
been helpful at special dance events, whether weekends or weeklong camps.
Good luck!
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
If there are a lot of children, and no other contra dancers, for the
first workshop, don't start with a contra.
Start with something that breaks the ice and is easy and gets them
facing each other in long lines.
For my "one night stands", weddings, etc., I start with a dance
sometimes called "The Hat Dance" - except I use a large stuffed
animal gorilla, so people call it the "gorilla dance' - you know,
three chairs at the top of the set, two lines on either side, one
person sits in middle with gorilla on lap, one head of each line sit
on the side, band starts up and plays like a house afire, mid person
gives gorilla to one of the seated people, dances down set with the
other in a sashay or polka or whatever they choose, gorilla receiver
moves to mid seat, next two sit down. I don't know why this is so
successful, but people love this dance. They love watching other
people get or give the gorilla. I gave up on the hat idea because w.
kids there may be head lice. Really. The gorilla is cuter anyway.
This gets people moving, touching, laughing, and standing in two
lines and learning top of set and bottom of set.
Then follow perhaps with a reel, like Virginia reel. This gives a
vague concept of progression and doing something different at
different positions in the dance. There are some other simpler reels
than Virginia reel as well, without the strip the willow but with the
follow around and arch and under.
I think the one of the easiest contras is Ellen's Green Jig. I don't
have time to put it up here, maybe someone else could if you don't
know it, but it's one where everyone pretty much is in contact all
the time so it's hard to screw up, has just balance and swing, do-si-
do and circles pretty much, and the progression is oh-so-obvious, and
it doesn't matter if the genders get all screwed up as long as ones
are ones and twos are twos.
Oh, I called for a dance where 15 foreign exchange students showed up
with limited English. I'd keep the calls in English as you are a
beginning caller and it would be too much to think of to do it in
Japanese as well. But just pick the way you are going to call the
figure, e.g. Ladie's Chain - and NEVER vary it. It will always be
Ladie's Chain, not "Chain the women", not "women chain" not "chain
across" just flat out plain "Ladies Chain". People will catch on.
Martha
On Oct 2, 2007, at 4:00 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
> Send Callers mailing list submissions to
> callers(a)sharedweight.net
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> callers-request(a)sharedweight.net
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Japan dance and self intro/update
> (sharedweight.99.kyoto(a)spamgourmet.com)
> 2. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update (Lindsay Morris)
> 3. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update (Greg McKenzie)
> 4. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update
> (Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing)
> 5. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update (Lisa Sieverts)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 11:59:28 -0700 (PDT)
> From: sharedweight.99.kyoto(a)spamgourmet.com
> Subject: [Callers] Japan dance and self intro/update
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Message-ID: <74363.4139.qm(a)web38705.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> [n.b. this has been 'cross posted' to the yahoo traditional callers
> list, in case anyone is on
> both lists...]
>
> This post from a llooonnnngg time dancer and first time caller who is
> requesting some advice for an unusual situation...but as it is my
> first post, I will explain a little about myself, and along the way
> that will explain the unusual situation and help guide and refine any
> replies.
>
> My name is david crespo, a name some of you no doubt fear -- I mean
> recognize -- or would (recognize, that is) (if you saw my ugly
> mug) (well, maybe fear...) from my 20 odd (quite odd) years of
> dancing and involvement in the dance community in New England, mostly
> Vermont (Etna, Norwich, Thetford, to Northern Spy etc.) and Maine
> (SMFA (Yarmouth), Falmouth, Bates, Bowdoinham...). As some of you
> thus know, about 3 years ago, at a Wake the Neighbors Bates dance I
> was met by a cute and not very frightening Japanese exchange student,
> Yukie, who with a very little gentle nudging at Deffa a week later,
> eventually (rapidly, that is) was able to parlay that happenstance
> circumstance into what is now a beautiful and happy marriage. She
> returned to Japan shortly after we completed our courtship and about
> a year later I followed. We're living in Kyoto.
>
> Alas, there is one tragic note attending this otherwise joyous and
> perfect scenario. Japan, you see, is a land thouroughly devoid of one
> essential nutrient: contradancing. You can imagine my dismay, tears,
> and lamentations. Sadly, then, since my arrival, I have been quietly
> (well not so quietly) teaching english while secretly incubating evil
> plans to conquer Japan, then Asia, then the world in 64 (drastic)
> measures (hmmm--- good name for a dance). This month, my long patient
> agony of waiting has begun to pay off. I have been given the
> opportunity to indoctrinate a few trusting and innocent souls into
> the sublime mysteries of la dance du contra and create an army of
> swiftfooted robots, ready and willing to do my bidding at every call.
> SOON I WILL CONQUER THE WORLD!!!
>
> ahem.
>
> please excuse me while my medicine kicks in. Ah, yes, thank you. OK,
> where was I? The fact is, my wife and I have been invited to lead a
> contradance workshop at a local festival on October 20. When we found
> out, we began doing as much research as we could on calling and so
> on. We found a few basic dances, like Baby Rose and Diane's Visit and
> Atonement Reel that we like and figured would be suitable and we have
> been practicing calling them. But I really welcome any suggestions...
>
> Actually, above and beyond some decades of doing things proper and
> improper, I took a caller workshop or two from Rick Mohr (thanks
> Rick) so I have a rough idea of what's involved. And I've learned a
> bit from practicing calling and writing a few ad hoc dances on my
> own. For example, I learned that being a dancer has habituated me to
> act ON the beat, but as a caller I need to act BEFORE the beat,
> eh....this flustered me at first. Are there any other typical first
> caller pointers we should be on the lookout for?
>
> In addition, there are a few other associated circumstances in this
> project that create the aforementioned unique situation. In brief
> (HA! fooled you), since I've rattled on too long, here is what I mean:
>
> I don't speak more than the rudiments of Japanese. My wife is still a
> beginner dancer, to wit, she isn't a strong enough one to call on her
> own. Between us we are trying to teach each other what the other
> lacks and hopefully make one good caller out of the two of us. One
> question that has come up is is it better to keep the standard names
> for the figures, or to Japanify them. (We are leaning to the
> former...Japanese has a very high percentage of english loan words,
> and they learn english (poooooorly) in school.) Still, has anyone
> ever tried to call across a language barrier?
>
> Japanese are touch sensitve. They don't touch, they don't give eye
> contact. They don't give weight. (They give wait). They don't hug.
> They don't even say I love you. They are very shy. For example, I am
> told that this is to the point that standing in a line of men facing
> a line of women is likely be uncomfortable, even for the younger
> generation, so Yukie feels we should use mixed couples with armbands
> to distinguish "gender"--I mean position. As we build a community of
> experienced dancers, it would be expected that some of this
> inhibition might wear off...). You can see why they need to dance. On
> the other hand, they are good followers. Any advice for working with
> a shy crowd?
>
> Some or many of the attendees at this workshop, we just found out,
> are likely to be children. Depending on the percentage, it may be
> necessary to do a kids dance, or at least a dance kids could enjoy. I
> am good at working with kids in general, but I would love any advice
> for doing a dance with young people. I don't know or haven't been
> able to find any children's dances, though I assume the Family Dance
> in Yarmouth is still up and I plan to contact Jeff Raymond about it,
> because I can't remember the caller's name (Nancy....) (though we
> have danced and chatted about dancing and calling several times at
> the May Day Festival...gads! say hi if you're listening..).
> So, children's dances are one thing I am looking for.
>
> We are working in a small space...maybe two lines of six couples
> each. Advice for small spaces???　
>
> We are doing three workshops. If the same people return, we may do
> more advanced things, or we may just repeat teh workshop...but I
> would like to try different dances each time, for my practice.
>
> The room will be full of beginners, so no experienced dancers to rely
> on. Ballroom dancing had a certain following here (and in Kyoto there
> is a small set dancing group that we visited...small 14 or so... and
> a square dancing group that we plan to visit. ) but not enough to be
> helpful, in the sense that there are few cultural supports for
> learning (i.e. in the US most everyone knows (even if they don't
> admit it) how to at least fake a waltz or ballroom position...not
> here.) Think martian territory...
>
> I should add that we are seriously working towards starting a regular
> dance here (we've found an available and very suitable space, a
> church hall in a nearby church, for example) and this is for us a
> tryout and possible stepping stone. We want to whet people's
> appetite, and leave them wanting more. We have a half hour to do it...
>
> OK...apologies for the verbose and windy post. Fond regards to all of
> you I know, hajimemashite ("nice to meet you" in japanese, literally
> "beginning") to the rest and many thanks in advance for your time and
> help...cheers...david
>
> nothing rhymes with nostril...
>
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:23:07 -0400
> From: Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Japan dance and self intro/update
> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Message-ID: <47029A9B.1020203(a)tsmworks.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Wow, you're biting off too much.
> Teach them community-dance stuff first - circle mixers, easy
> things to
> get them used to touching, allemanding, and giving weight.
> If they refuse to take hands and circle left, then I suggest you
> fake a
> heart attack and get out.
> Lindsay Morris
> Principal
> TSMworks
> [1]www.tsmworks.com
> 859-539-9900
>
>
> [2]sharedweight.99.kyoto(a)spamgourmet.com wrote:
>
> [n.b. this has been 'cross posted' to the yahoo traditional callers
> list, in cas
> e anyone is on
> both lists...]
>
> This post from a llooonnnngg time dancer and first time caller who is
> requesting some advice for an unusual situation...but as it is my
> first post, I will explain a little about myself, and along the way
> that will explain the unusual situation and help guide and refine any
> replies.
>
> My name is david crespo, a name some of you no doubt fear -- I mean
> recognize -- or would (recognize, that is) (if you saw my ugly
> mug) (well, maybe fear...) from my 20 odd (quite odd) years of
> dancing and involvement in the dance community in New England, mostly
> Vermont (Etna, Norwich, Thetford, to Northern Spy etc.) and Maine
> (SMFA (Yarmouth), Falmouth, Bates, Bowdoinham...). As some of you
> thus know, about 3 years ago, at a Wake the Neighbors Bates dance I
> was met by a cute and not very frightening Japanese exchange student,
> Yukie, who with a very little gentle nudging at Deffa a week later,
> eventually (rapidly, that is) was able to parlay that happenstance
> circumstance into what is now a beautiful and happy marriage. She
> returned to Japan shortly after we completed our courtship and about
> a year later I followed. We're living in Kyoto.
>
> Alas, there is one tragic note attending this otherwise joyous and
> perfect scenario. Japan, you see, is a land thouroughly devoid of one
> essential nutrient: contradancing. You can imagine my dismay, tears,
> and lamentations. Sadly, then, since my arrival, I have been quietly
> (well not so quietly) teaching english while secretly incubating evil
> plans to conquer Japan, then Asia, then the world in 64 (drastic)
> measures (hmmm--- good name for a dance). This month, my long patient
> agony of waiting has begun to pay off. I have been given the
> opportunity to indoctrinate a few trusting and innocent souls into
> the sublime mysteries of la dance du contra and create an army of
> swiftfooted robots, ready and willing to do my bidding at every call.
> SOON I WILL CONQUER THE WORLD!!!
>
> ahem.
>
> please excuse me while my medicine kicks in. Ah, yes, thank you. OK,
> where was I? The fact is, my wife and I have been invited to lead a
> contradance workshop at a local festival on October 20. When we found
> out, we began doing as much research as we could on calling and so
> on. We found a few basic dances, like Baby Rose and Diane's Visit and
> Atonement Reel that we like and figured would be suitable and we have
> been practicing calling them. But I really welcome any suggestions...
>
> Actually, above and beyond some decades of doing things proper and
> improper, I took a caller workshop or two from Rick Mohr (thanks
> Rick) so I have a rough idea of what's involved. And I've learned a
> bit from practicing calling and writing a few ad hoc dances on my
> own. For example, I learned that being a dancer has habituated me to
> act ON the beat, but as a caller I need to act BEFORE the beat,
> eh....this flustered me at first. Are there any other typical first
> caller pointers we should be on the lookout for?
>
> In addition, there are a few other associated circumstances in this
> project that create the aforementioned unique situation. In brief
> (HA! fooled you), since I've rattled on too long, here is what I mean:
>
> I don't speak more than the rudiments of Japanese. My wife is still a
> beginner dancer, to wit, she isn't a strong enough one to call on her
> own. Between us we are trying to teach each other what the other
> lacks and hopefully make one good caller out of the two of us. One
> question that has come up is is it better to keep the standard names
> for the figures, or to Japanify them. (We are leaning to the
> former...Japanese has a very high percentage of english loan words,
> and they learn english (poooooorly) in school.) Still, has anyone
> ever tried to call across a language barrier?
>
> Japanese are touch sensitve. They don't touch, they don't give eye
> contact. They don't give weight. (They give wait). They don't hug.
> They don't even say I love you. They are very shy. For example, I am
> told that this is to the point that standing in a line of men facing
> a line of women is likely be uncomfortable, even for the younger
> generation, so Yukie feels we should use mixed couples with armbands
> to distinguish "gender"--I mean position. As we build a community of
> experienced dancers, it would be expected that some of this
> inhibition might wear off...). You can see why they need to dance. On
> the other hand, they are good followers. Any advice for working with
> a shy crowd?
>
> Some or many of the attendees at this workshop, we just found out,
> are likely to be children. Depending on the percentage, it may be
> necessary to do a kids dance, or at least a dance kids could enjoy. I
> am good at working with kids in general, but I would love any advice
> for doing a dance with young people. I don't know or haven't been
> able to find any children's dances, though I assume the Family Dance
> in Yarmouth is still up and I plan to contact Jeff Raymond about it,
> because I can't remember the caller's name (Nancy....) (though we
> have danced and chatted about dancing and calling several times at
> the May Day Festival...gads! say hi if you're listening..).
> So, children's dances are one thing I am looking for.
>
> We are working in a small space...maybe two lines of six couples
> each. Advice for small spaces???　
>
> We are doing three workshops. If the same people return, we may do
> more advanced things, or we may just repeat teh workshop...but I
> would like to try different dances each time, for my practice.
>
> The room will be full of beginners, so no experienced dancers to rely
> on. Ballroom dancing had a certain following here (and in Kyoto there
> is a small set dancing group that we visited...small 14 or so... and
> a square dancing group that we plan to visit. ) but not enough to be
> helpful, in the sense that there are few cultural supports for
> learning (i.e. in the US most everyone knows (even if they don't
> admit it) how to at least fake a waltz or ballroom position...not
> here.) Think martian territory...
>
> I should add that we are seriously working towards starting a regular
> dance here (we've found an available and very suitable space, a
> church hall in a nearby church, for example) and this is for us a
> tryout and possible stepping stone. We want to whet people's
> appetite, and leave them wanting more. We have a half hour to do it...
>
> OK...apologies for the verbose and windy post. Fond regards to all of
> you I know, hajimemashite ("nice to meet you" in japanese, literally
> "beginning") to the rest and many thanks in advance for your time and
> help...cheers...david
>
> nothing rhymes with nostril...
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ____
> __________
> Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with
> Yahoo! Autos.
> [3]http://autos.yahoo.com/index.html
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> [5]http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
> References
>
> 1. http://www.tsmworks.com/
> 2. mailto:sharedweight.99.kyoto@spamgourmet.com
> 3. http://autos.yahoo.com/index.html
> 4. mailto:Callers@sharedweight.net
> 5. http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
I was hired for my first dance weekend partially due to serendipity. On the Wednesday before camp, Lisa Greenleaf, the scheduled caller, contacted the programmer to let him know that she had laryngitis and possibly other throat ailments, and wouldn't be able to make it. The programmer called several other "big name" callers on the east coast trying to get them to fill in at the last minute, to no avail. So then he asked me, Wednesday while I was at work. This camp was in my home community. It was good that I only had two days to experience high adrenaline surges (i.e., stressing out) before the camp. Thanks go to Lisa for getting sick (only kidding), Charlie Fenton for having faith in me, and the Latter Day Lizards for being so supportive and so much fun to work with.
My next dance weekend invitation came from programmers who happened to be at the first camp I called. Other weekends I've been hired for since then have mostly come about by word of mouth. Someone who's heard me call somewhere recommended me when asked.
I've programmed some dance weekends, and recommended other callers for camps. With that hat on, let me tell you the things I think about when hiring or recommending a caller for a weekend. First, of course, they need to be a good caller: have all the technical aspects down, have good judgement and flexibility, and good taste in choosing the dances they call. Almost equally important is that they're a "good camper". They make an effort to meet the campers, get to know them, enjoy them, dance with them (when not calling). They don't just hang out with their friends and/or the other staff all weekend, and only show up when they have to call. I love callers who can build community from the stage, whose first priority is to make sure the campers have a great time, not to be the center of attention. A word George Marshall used once was "transparency". Qualities of this include being visible when needed to teach the dance clearly and concisely, calling until
most people have the dance, and then getting out of the way to let the band and the dancers make their magical connection. No prima donnas please.
My first recommendation would be to call, call, call, and continue to learn and improve your skills and judgement. I'd also recommend that you attend camps as a camper. And when there, be a "good camper". Dance with other campers of all experience levels. Meet people and enjoy them. Volunteer to help with set-up, clean-up. And just be yourself.
Good luck,
Lynn
--- On Mon, 4/20/09, Jack Mitchell <jamitch3(a)mindspring.com> wrote:
From: Jack Mitchell <jamitch3(a)mindspring.com>
Subject: [Callers] First Dance Weekend
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Date: Monday, April 20, 2009, 10:03 AM
For those of you who have called for a dance weekend: How did you get
your first weekend gig? Did you go out looking for it? Did a weekend
approach you having heard your calling? Any suggestions? I've gotten
to the point in my calling that calling for a weekend in the next few
years is something that I'd like to set as a goal for myself, but
don't
have a good idea of how to go about it. My current plan has been
booking some multi-gig tours with bands that I work well with to
increase my exposure, but I'd appreciate any thoughts or ideas that
others might have.
Thanks,
Jack Mitchell
Durham, NC
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
Dear dance friends,
In my business, I do database development, especially for non-profits and
particularly for community arts organizations ( http://studioschoolpro.com )
so it's probably natural that I started thinking about creating a database
for collecting dances, when I first started calling many years ago.
Starting with my original database and pulling in ideas from Russ Owen's old
FileMaker template, other people¹s homegrown systems and feedback from some
experience callers, I've built something completely new in FileMaker 9/10.
It's one of those projects that is both fun to do and hopefully will be of
practical use to others. The software Callers Companion - is primarily
geared towards contra but I¹m open to modifications that would enhance its
use for squares and ECD.
It is self-running - both Mac and Win - and will not require users to have
FileMaker Pro or any other software other than a relatively recent operating
system (Mac OS 10.4.8+ or 10.5.x, or Windows XP with SP2 or Vista). I¹m
assuming to release it as some form of shareware¹ license, meaning download
it and if you find it useful, pay something to support it¹s continued
development.
What I¹m looking for are a few intrepid folks (3-6) who are interested in
beta testing. I¹ve been testing and using it myself for a while and it¹s
pretty solid. If you would like to be a beta tester, please contact me off
list. I¹m interested in feedback from both experienced and new callers. If
you¹ve used Russ Owens old FileMaker template I may be able to import your
old data. Other systems may or may not be doable. If you¹re starting from
paper, know that the ³Insert Call² buttons make entry very fast and you can
customize the phrasing to your liking verbose or not as you choose.
Here ( http://callerscompanion.com ) are some screen shots to give you an
idea of it¹s current shape. The last one is specifically designed for
'on-screen' calling for folks like Linda Leslie who likes to call directly
from her iBook. (And thanks to Linda for her feedback so far!) Features
include:
Dances
* Rapid dance entry using customizable buttons - enter figures in your
preferred format/phrasing with a single button click.
* Print dances in multiple formats (index cards, one/page, two/page, etc)
* Search Dances by specific figures, e.g. ³Petronella² in B2
* Track dance elements¹ in a particular dance automatically and manually
* Link to online video clips of dances such as YouTube or Google video
* Link to authors website or other online posting/source for the dance
* Printed date and ³Print all unprinted² function
* Support for dance formats beyond 32-bar A1->B2
* ³Related Dances² - link dances to each other
* Copy Dance notes to clipboard so you can paste them into an email
* Duplicate Dance
Sets
* Create ³Sets² of dances for a particular event (date and location)
* Save those sets for future reference and with Notes and Dancer Level
* Duplicate a Set
* View all Sets in which a dance has been used (from Dance view)
* Filter dances by multiple criteria when creating a Set including name,
author, level, formation, etc.
* Large text screen for calling directly from the a laptop
Authors
* Author view showing all dances for that author
Other ideas not yet implemented:
* Automated import from Russ Owen¹s database (partially complete)
* Email a dance or set to someone as a PDF or a format that can be imported
directly into another copy of the database
Will Loving
--
William M. Loving
Dedication Technologies, Inc.
7 Coach Lane
Amherst, MA 01002-3304 USA
will(a)dedicationtechnologies.com
Tel: +1 413 253-7223 (GMT 5)
Fax: +1 206 202-0476
On Sunday evening, April 19, New Mexico Caller Donna Howell and contra dance musicians Karina Wilson, Della O'Keeffe and Will McDonald will be featured on "Gotta Dance" . This Santa Fe New Mexico Public Radio program runs from 7-8 pm mountain time. . Great tunes from Rodney Miller and other artists will also be played. Tune in and join the fun. This program is geared to recruiting new folks to contra dance, so invite your wanna-be dancer friends to find out what contra dancing is all about. "Gotta Dance" can be heard in northern and central New Mexico at 90.7 FM and 101.1 FM, or world-wide via live stream broadcast at www.ksfr.org
Just go to this site and hit the "Listen Live" feature.
